An evaluation of a public relations program in promoting synergistic cooperation between schools and industries

In 2005, Barclays Bank Plc acquired 56.4 percent stake of Amalgamated Bank of South Africa (ABSA). The performance of this acquisition has never been evaluated. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to evaluate the performance of the acquired ABSA through an accounting based measure. The primary source of data was the 2004-2015 ABSA audited financial statements. The audited financial statements are publicly available. The period 2004-2015 includes a period before, during and after the acquisition. In this article, a financial statement analysis method through accounting based measure was the preferred research method. The financial statement analysis method was preferred because of its strength and ability to assess viability, stability and profitability by using formulae, ratios and calculations. Therefore, this article used financial formulae and ratios as acceptable accounting based measures to evaluate the performance of the acquired ABSA. The major finding is that the acquired ABSA is doing better than at the pre-acquisition stage and the share price of the acquired ABSA has been increasing since 2005 to 2015.

The issues raised in the article are very relevant, due to the growing costs of recruitment for hiring managers. The object of the article is also important due to need to improve the level of knowledge of recruiters, which unfortunately is still imperfect. As a result of the research, it was discovered that the majority (75%) of recruiters do not have sufficient knowledge about the industry in which they recruit a manager, don’t take into consideration the individual needs of organizations seeking managers with special skills, for instance, in the field of innovation management - the use of modern technologies. The aim of the article is to assess the effectiveness of recruitment for hiring managers. The main attention is paid to methods and tools used by the recruiters, evaluation of recruiter performance, following the subjectivity of the recruiter during the candidate’s assessment, incompatibility of the organization and the candidate in terms of remuneration, length of breaks between individual stages of recruitment and their impact on candidates. The methodology of the study includes analysis of relevant literature, desk research and the research method – anonymous survey.

Waste management has posed a lot of threats to both humanity and the stability of the natural environment. This study specifically investigated whether public relations’ media enlightenment campaign has any significant influence on waste management and also studied whether public relations’ community participation has any significant influence on waste management. The population of the study consists of residents of Enugu metropolis. Survey method was adopted for the study, and the sample size of 384 residents were determined using Cochran’s method. Cronbach’s Alpha was used to determine the reliability of 0.980. Using the convenience sampling technique, the questionnaires were distributed to 384 residents, and 295 of them were duly filled and validated. Using simple linear regression for data analysis, the findings revealed that public relations’ media public enlightenment campaign strategy has a significant influence on waste management (r = 0.933; t = 76.736; F = 5888.365; p < 0.05). Similarly, it was revealed that public relations’ community participation strategy has a significant influence on waste management (r = 0.930; t = 76.280; F = 5667.029; p < 0.05). Ergo, there is a need to improve on media public enlightenment campaign strategy towards educating and encouraging waste management behavior among residents through an adequate traditional and social media awareness campaign. Also, residents should be encouraged to participate actively and meaningfully in environmental waste management issues in Enugu metropolis. The implication is that residents will be more conscious of managing their wastes effectively as a result of adequate information gathering from the media and participation in waste management activities.

Acknowledgment
In the course of this study, a few research assistants contributed immensely in gathering primary data from the districts where the study was conducted. They include Ayogu Victor, Ayogu Boniface, Okolo Valentine, and Agu O. Agu.